The transitional woman in the Kenyan Novel:A character portrayal in the novels of Stanley Gazemba and Tobias Otieno

Abstract

This study sets out to analyze the character and personality of the woman in transition as reflected in the novels of Stanley Gazemba and Tobias Otieno: award-winners of the first and second prizes respectively of the Jorno Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 2003. The study relies on two main literary approaches: the Feminist literary approach and the Stylistics approach. Proceeding from these literary perspectives, the study seeks to examine the process of change in the major female characters in the two novels ;The Stone Hills of Maragoli by Stanley Gazemba and The Missing Links, by Tobias Otieno, and how the responses of these characters reveal patriarchal dictates that influence and shape their identity and personal ity affirmation. The study has two main objectives: to examine the character portrayal of the major female characters and to study and analyze the character traits of these women in transition. The study is guided by the hypothesis that, the image of the woman as reflected in the two novels is undergoing a transition and that the casting of the women characters in the present day novel is an acknowledgement of the diminishing woman of the traditional setting. The study has used library research and informal interviews with the authors as its methodology. Chapter One of this study comprises an introduction, statement of the problem, theoretical approaches, review, hypothesis, objectives and scope and limitations. Chapter Two gives biographical details that are useful in helping us understand a little more about these young writers. This chapter is to give an insight into their motivation and the kind of influence they had in shaping their literary skills. Chapter Three focuses on an analysis on the search for identity and the process of change in The Missing Links. The aim of this chapter is to explore the character development of the main female character

showing how this reveals her determined path to self-discovery and awareness. Chapter Four analyzes the character and personality of the woman in transition operating within a social context that is constantly limiting her pursuit to affirm her individuality. The conclusion gives a summary of the findings of the study.